The Child of Waterloo, or, The Horrors of the Battle-Field — page 77: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

W4 THE CHILD OF WATERLOO. heart at violently, and the sweat stood in large globules on his forehead and ran in streams from various parts of his body; he was bathed in moisture. He could feel the pulsation of his heart beat with tremendous violence, and his breast heaved quickly, while the blood flowed at such an increased rate through his whole body that he felt dizzy and sick. For a minute he reeled, and could scarcely stand; but it was only for a minute, and then he turned to the work of examina- tion for the man whom he made no doubt was secreted some- where in the church, among the pews or seats, and he deter- mined be would have him out. To secure the window was the work of a moment; and though it could offer little or no impediment to the escape of the su posed murderer, if he were again to make for that place, yet it would be a hinderance for a second or two, and that would give him the opportunity of overtaking him before he could get clear off. Then going up to the communion-table, he looked care- fully around the place—he looked down both aisles, and could gee nothing. He then walked carefully down on one side—that which was the darkest, for the moon’s rays fell upon one side, and down the darkest side Jem walked, examining every little noox and corner, and looking into every pew, which were not many, and every shadow that was tbrown across the aisles; and then he looked round on every side, so that no movement could take place in the body of the church without his being perfectly cognizant of it, so still and quiet was the place. Jem scareely breathed; his footsteps were slow and stealthy, because he would not disturb the wrapt stillness of the scene; he had eyes end he had ears, and both faculties did he make use of. The hostler had examined one side, and he crossed at the end of the aisle to that on the other side, and then commenced as care- ful an examination on that side as he had made on the other. This, however, was fruitless, also; and the hostler began to fear that, after all, he bad been defeated, and the supposed murderer had contrived to elude his search, and had securely concealed himself. Jt was then, as the conviction that the supposed mur- derer had escaped stole over him, that he felt an almost over. powering sense of fatigue, from the toil he had gone through for the first time steal over him. He staggered, but he would not sit down; he would not even give his enemy a chance, if he were there, of suddenly overcom- ing him, and thus securing impunity for himseif; he determined to walk up into the pulpit, and there watch the body of the cburch, and listen to the smallest sound that might reach his ears. He walked up and sat down; he leaned his head on his hands, and gazed wistfully up‘and down the body of the church, listening intently the while. The church was nearly enveloped in gloom now, and nothing but the dark outliwes of the pews and the monuments were seen or distinguished—the moon was fast waning, and the morning was approaching. He sat there and tremhled; he felt he had done much—he had strained ever ginew, and yet scarcely recovered his breath: he yet panted, comicbooks. com